“I would like to express our support and appreciation for the intensive efforts of the High Representative/European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak to enable an agreement on police reform. We are also encouraged by the genuine efforts of political parties to move closer to an agreement on police reform. Such agreement is needed to open the way for the initialling of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union. The SAA is a major step in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s relation to the EU, not only it brings economic benefits through its provisions, but it is also the gateway to the next step in the European integration process, provided it is properly implemented.

This positive momentum should be used for securing rapidly an agreement which could be supported by the necessary majorities in the parliaments, which should be in line with the three European Union principles (all legislative and budgetary competence must be vested at State level, no political interference in operational police work and police areas defined according to technical criteria) and which would ensure that the implementation of the police reform becomes irreversible. There is still an extra mile that BiH political parties and authorities have to go in order to allow this country and its citizens to fulfil their European ambitions.”